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"This Republican Party of Lincoln
has become a party of theocracy."
U.S. Representative Christopher Shays, R-CT, (New York Times
3/23/05)
What is Dominionism? Palin, the Christian
Right, & Theocracy
by cberlet
Fri Sep 05, 2008 at 06:13:19 AM PDT
Sarah Palin is a "Dominionist" with an apocalytic End
Times theological viewpoint that sees the war in Iraq as part
of God's plan. More on the End Times in the next post. Let's
talk about Christian Right Dominionism and tendencies toward authoritarian
theocratic governance.
With a number of bloggers calling Sarah Palin a "Dominionist,"
it is a good idea to clear up some obvious errors in the use of
terminology.
Neither Sarah Palin nor her Protestant church affiliated with
the Assemblies of God should be described as practicing a form
of "Dominion Theology" or "Christian Reconstructionism."
That is just plain wrong.
It is fair to suggest that Palin displays the tendency called
"Dominionism" in some of her public statements.
As one of the authors who popularized the term "Dominionism"
(along with Sara Diamond, and Fred Clarkson), I feel some obligation
to clear up this confusion, which stems from some very sloppy
research posted on a number of websites where the terms "Dominionism,"
"Dominion Theology," and "Christian Reconstructionism"
are used improperly and interchangeably.
"Christian Reconstructionism" is a form of "Dominion
Theology" that influenced a tendency toward "Dominionism"
in the Christian Right and certain evangelical churches such as
The Assemblies of God. But, lumping of these theologies
together is neither accurate, nor fair.
How did this confusion get started?
In a September 1994 plenary speech to the Christian Coalition
national convention, Rev. D. James Kennedy said that "true
Christian citizenship" involves an active engagement in society
to "take dominion over all things as vice-regents of God."
Kennedy's remarks were reported in February 1995 by sociologist
and journalist Sara Diamond, who wrote that Kennedy had "echoed
the Reconstructionist line."
More than anyone else, it was Sara Diamond who popularized the
term "dominionism," using it to describe a growing political
tendency in the Christian Right. It is a useful term that has,
unfortunately, been used in a variety of ways that are neither
accurate nor useful. Diamond was careful to discuss how the small
Christian Reconstructionist theological movement had helped introduce
"dominionism" as a concept into the larger and more
diverse social/political movements called the Christian Right.
Dominionism is therefore a tendency among Protestant Christian
evangelicals and fundamentalists that encourages them to not only
be active political participants in civic society, but also seek
to dominate the political process as part of a mandate from God.
This highly politicized concept of dominionism is based on the
Bible's text in Genesis 1:26:
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over
all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon
the earth." (King James Version).
"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our
likeness and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the
birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and
over all the creatures that move along the ground.'" (New
International Version).
The vast majority of Christians read this text and conclude that
God has appointed them stewards and caretakers of Earth. As Sara
Diamond explains, however, some Christian read the text and believe,
"that Christians alone are Biblically mandated to occupy
all secular institutions until Christ returns." That, in
a nutshell, is the idea of "dominionism."
Just because some critics of the Christian Right have stretched
the term dominionism past its breaking point does not mean we
should abandon the term. And while it is true that few participants
in the Christian Right Culture War want a theocracy as proposed
by the Christian Reconstructionists, many of their battlefield
Earth commanders are leading them in that direction. A number
of these leaders have been influenced by Christian Reconstructionism,
which is a variant of theocracy called "theonomy."
William Martin is the author of the 1996 tome With God
on Our Side, a companion volume to the PBS series. Martin
is a sociologist and professor of religion at Rice University,
and he has been critical of the way some critics of the Christian
Right have tossed around the terms "dominionism" and
"theocracy." Martin has offered some careful writing
on the subject. According to Martin:
"It is difficult to assess the influence of Reconstructionist
thought with any accuracy. Because it is so genuinely radical,
most leaders of the Religious Right are careful to distance
themselves from it. At the same time, it clearly holds some
appeal for many of them. One undoubtedly spoke for others when
he confessed, 'Though we hide their books under the bed, we
read them just the same.' "
According to Martin, "several key leaders have acknowledged
an intellectual debt to the theonomists. Jerry Falwell and D.
James Kennedy have endorsed Reconstructionist books."
Before he died in 2001, the founder of Christian Reconstuctionism,
R. J. Rushdoony, appeared several times on Christian Right televangelist
programs such as Pat Robertson's 700 Club and the program hosted
by D. James Kennedy, writes Martin.
"Pat Robertson makes frequent use of 'dominion' language"
says Martin, "his book, The Secret Kingdom, has often been
cited for its theonomy elements; and pluralists were made uncomfortable
when, during his presidential campaign, he said he 'would only
bring Christians and Jews into the government,' as well as when
he later wrote, 'There will never be world peace until God's house
and God's people are given their rightful place of leadership
at the top of the world.' "
Martin also points out that "Jay Grimstead, who leads the
Coalition on Revival, which brings Reconstructionists together
with more mainstream evangelicals, has said, 'I don't call myself
[a Reconstructionist],' but 'A lot of us are coming to realize
that the Bible is God's standard of morality . . . in all points
of history . . . and for all societies, Christian and non-Christian
alike. . . . It so happens that Rushdoony, Bahnsen, and North
understood that sooner.' He added, 'There are a lot of us floating
around in Christian leadership James Kennedy is one of them-who
don't go all the way with the theonomy thing, but who want to
rebuild America based on the Bible.'"
So let's choose our language carefully, but let's recognize that
terms such as "dominionism" and "theocracy,"
when used cautiously and carefully, are appropriate when describing
anti-democratic tendencies in the Christian Right.
"Dominionism" as a Term or Description
The term "dominionism" is used different ways by different
people. When new terms are developed, that is to be expected.
If we are to use words and phrases to discuss ideas, however,
it pays to be on the same page concerning how we define those
terms. This is especially true in public debates.
In her 1989 book Spiritual Warfare, sociologist Sara Diamond
discussed how dominionism as an ideological tendency in the Christian
Right had been significantly influenced by Christian Reconstructionism.
Over the past 20 years the leading proponents of Christian Reconstructionism
and dominion theology have included Rousas John (R.J.) Rushdoony,
Gary North, Greg Bahnsen, David Chilton, Gary DeMar, and Andrew
Sandlin.
Diamond explained that "the primary importance of the [Christian
Reconstructionist] ideology is its role as a catalyst for what
is loosely called 'dominion theology.'" According to Diamond,
"Largely through the impact of Rushdoony's and North's writings,
the concept that Christians are Biblically mandated to 'occupy'
all secular institutions has become the central unifying ideology
for the Christian Right." (italics in the original).
In a series of articles and book chapters Diamond expanded on
her thesis. She called Reconstructionism "the most intellectually
grounded, though esoteric, brand of dominion theology," and
observed that "promoters of Reconstructionism see their role
as ideological entrepreneurs committed to a long-term struggle."
So Christian Reconstructionism was the most influential form
of dominion theology, and it influenced both the theological concepts
and political activism of white Protestant conservative evangelicals
mobilized by the Christian Right.
But very few evangelicals have even heard of dominion theology,
and fewer still embrace Christian Reconstructionism. How do we
explain this, especially since our critics are quick to point
it out?
The answer lies in teasing apart the terminology and how it is
used.
Christian Reconstructionism is a form of theocratic dominion
theology. Its leaders challenged evangelicals across a wide swath
of theological beliefs to engage in a more muscular and activist
form of political participation. The core theme of dominion theology
is that the Bible mandates Christians to take over and "occupy"
secular institutions.
A number of Christian Right leaders read what the Christian Reconstructionists
were writing, and they adopted the idea of taking dominion over
the secular institutions of the United States as the "central
unifying ideology" of their social movement. They decided
to gain political power through the Republican Party.
This does not mean most Christian Right leaders became Christian
Reconstructionists. It does mean they were influenced by dominion
theology. But they were influenced in a number of different ways,
and some promote the theocratic aspects more militantly than others.
It helps to see the terms dominionism, dominion theology, and
Christian Reconstructionism as distinct and not interchangeable.
While all Christian Reconstructionists are dominionists, not all
dominionists are Christian Reconstructionists.
A nested subset chart looks like this:
---Triumphalism
---------Dominionism
---------------------Dominion Theology or Theocracy
----------------------------------Theonomy
----------------------------------------------Christian Reconstructionism
The specific meanings are different in important ways, although
the terms have been used in a variety of conflicting ways in popular
articles, especially on the Internet.
In its generic sense, dominionism is a very broad political tendency
within the Christian Right. It ranges from soft to hard versions
in terms of its theocratic impulse.
Soft Dominionists are Christian nationalists.
They believe that Biblically-defined immorality and sin breed
chaos and anarchy. They fear that America's greatness as God's
chosen land has been undermined by liberal secular humanists,
feminists, and homosexuals. Purists want litmus tests for issues
of abortion, tolerance of gays and lesbians, and prayer in schools.
Their vision has elements of theocracy, but they stop short of
calling for supplanting the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Hard Dominionists believe all of this,
but they want the United States to be a Christian theocracy. For
them the Constitution and Bill of Rights are merely addendums
to Old Testament Biblical law. They claim that Christian men with
specific theological beliefs are ordained by God to run society.
Christians and others who do not accept their theological beliefs
would be second-class citizens. This sector includes Christian
Reconstructionists, but it has a growing number of adherents in
the leadership of the Christian Right.
It makes more sense to reserve the term "dominion theology"
to describe specific theological currents, while using the term
"dominionism" in a generic sense to discuss a tendency
toward aggressive political activism by Christians who claim they
are mandated by God to take over society. Even then, we need to
locate the subject of our criticisms on a scale that ranges from
soft to hard versions of dominionism.
Chip Berlet, Senior Analyst, Political Research Associates
_________________________________________________________
Theocracy
is derived from the two Greek words Qeo/j(Theos) meaning "God"
and kra/tein (cratein) meaning "to rule." The Reverend Rod Parsley,
a champion of theocracy, or what he calls a "christocracy,"
told his congregation at the World Harvest Church, located just
outside Columbus, Ohio, "Theocracy means God is in control,
and you are not." more
The theocratic right seeks to establish dominion,
or control over society in the name of God. The late D.
James Kennedy, former pastor of Coral Ridge Ministries, called
on his followers to exercise "godly dominion ... over every
aspect ... of human society." At a "Reclaiming America
for Christ" conference in February, 2005, Kennedy said:
"Our job is to reclaim America for Christ, whatever the
cost. As the vice regents of God, we are to exercise godly dominion
and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our government,
our literature and arts, our sports arenas, our entertainment
media, our news media, our scientific endeavors -- in short,
over every aspect and institution of human society."
Twenty-five years ago, dominionists
targeted the Republican
Party as the vehicle through which they could advance their
agenda. At the same time, a small group of Republican strategists
targeted fundamentalist, Pentecostal and charismatic churches
to expand the base of the Republican Party. This web site is not
about traditional Republicans or conservative Christians. It is
about the manipulation of people of a certain faith for political
power. It is about the rise of dominionists in the U.S. federal
government.
Today's hard right seeks total dominion. It's packing
the courts and rigging the rules. The target is not the Democrats
but democracy itself. more
According to acclaimed journalist and television host Bill Moyers,
"True, people of faith have always tried to bring
their interpretation of the Bible to bear on American laws and
morals ... it's the American way, encouraged and protected by
the First Amendment. But what is unique today is
that the radical religious right has succeeded in taking over
one of America's great political parties. The country is not
yet a theocracy but the Republican Party is, and they are driving
American politics, using God as a a battering ram on almost
every issue: crime and punishment, foreign policy, health care,
taxation, energy, regulation, social services and
so on." more
(To read the rest of the Home Page that was on this site before
the 2006 midterm elections, click
here.)
Back from the Brink
Before the midterm elections of 2006, dominionists controlled
both houses of the U.S. Congress, the White House and four out
of nine seats on the U.S. Supreme Court. They were one seat away
from holding a solid majority on the Supreme Court. As of January
1, 2007, dominionists will not control the leadership of either
house of Congress, and the President will no longer be able to
so easily appoint dominionists to the federal courts.
Five of the Republican Senators who were unseated on November
7 received whopping scores of 100% from the Family Research Council
and Focus on the Family Voter
Scorecards. Those Senators are: Conrad Burns (R-MT), George
Allen (R-VA), Rick Santorum (R-PA), James Talent (R-MO), and Mike
DeWine (R-OH). Rick Santorum was the number three ranking Republican
in the party. Santorum and Allen both had Presidential ambitions.
(FRC and FOF are the most politically influential of dominionist
organizations.) For more discussion of the elections go to Talk
To Action.
Where do we go from here?
Dominionists were very close to controlling all three branches
of the federal government from which they could impose their narrow
interpretation of scripture on the rest of society. People so
close to full political power are not going to go away. The American
people need to maintain vigilance and understand the history of
how dominionists came to political power.
And we need to embrace democracy with a passion -- for it was
voter apathy that allowed leaders like Pat Robertson to get so
many dominionists elected to Congress in the first place.
